Miami Beach Prioritizes $95 Million in Infrastructure Improvements

Miami Beach, FL – The Miami Beach Commission has unanimously adopted a major update to the city’s 2011 Stormwater Master Plan, which prioritizes $95 million for 20 critical resilience projects throughout the city over the next decade in areas prone to flooding, in parallel with the continued implementation of water quality treatment improvement projects and longer-term neighborhood improvement projects.

“Upgrading our aging infrastructure is unquestionably a public safety issue,” said Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner. “Ultimately, we need to get this done which will save us more in the long run.”

The city has already completed $103 million in stormwater resilience projects since the master plan was first approved 13 years ago. These include projects on Palm and Hibiscus islands, Indian Creek Drive from 26 to 41 streets as part of a joint project with the Florida Department of Transportation, new pump stations at 10, 14 and 17 streets as well as projects on lower North Bay Road and Sunset Islands 3 and 4.

“Obviously, a lot has changed from 2011,” acknowledged Miami Beach Public Works Director Joe Gomez, noting the plan has been updated for the next generation of residents. “Sea level projections have changed. A lot of other areas have been addressed.”

This master plan update incorporates findings from recent studies such as the Blue-Green Stormwater Infrastructure Concept Plan, Road Elevation Study and the Neighborhood Improvement Project Prioritization. The updated stormwater model indicated that for the entire City to mitigate a 10-year, 24-hour storm, 83 new stormwater pump stations as well as the construction of approximately 104 miles of large stormwater pipes is required.  The master plan is a critical component of the city’s holistic resilience strategy that also includes the Resilience Code, private property adaptation, seawall elevation, and nature based infrastructure such as the seven-mile protective dune system and beach, living shorelines, hybrid artificial reefs, and blue and green infrastructure in parks.

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